The Style Maven: modern prom dresses

This summer, prom dresses aren't only to be enjoyed by school leavers. The sighs emanating from the editors on the front row at Jonathan Saunders' show last September made that clear. The oddness of the fashion industry is such that sometimes seeing a collection so far in advance means that by the time it becomes appropriate to wear it you're over it. Not in this case. With the sun out at last and wedding invitations on the pinboard I would dearly love to slip into one of those printed, waisted, full-skirted dresses inspired by 1950s suburban housewives and the colours of Miami. I really wouldn't mind being a Stepford Wife if the wardrobe came courtesy of Saunders.

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There was a similar silhouette to the last dress in the Acne summer show - a pared-down 1950s style in punk pink, with a scoopy neck, cap sleeves and a skirt that poofed just so. Pockets too! Length is important on these dresses. The hems fall just below the knee, which not only looks great now after all those teensy lengths and sky-scraper shoes, but is a signal to me, at least, that the New Prom is actually a grown-up-friendly frock.

Underlining this is the fact that at well over £1,000 a pop both the Saunders and Acne dresses are so expensive you will need a very big girl's salary to pay for them. If it's any help, what you're paying for here are the superior textiles (silk jacquard in Saunders' case; a sturdy cotton-blend twill in Acne's), which hold that poofy-but-crisp shape and lend these dresses the sheen of something modern.

If that won't wash with the friendly (but firm, no?) folk of First Direct, you will perhaps prefer to turn to the high street where Oasis and Coast have created similar styles. I'd say a flat shoe because I nearly always do, but I know it's hard to pull off if you're not feeling 100 per cent about your legs (100? 50 would be a happy day). But if it has to be a heel, go with a sandal, something unfussy rather than a big, clumping, shiny platform court. Pairing this silhouette with what Manolo Blahnik calls 'furniture shoes' would put you in danger of looking like you really are going to the prom.